Review: Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye concentrate

Good news for Clarins fans. The French brand have just launched a new eye cream called Super Restorative Total Eye concentrate (R825).

I love that they put this in a pump bottle as opposed to a jar. Yay for hygiene!

The Super Restorative line is aimed at ‘older’ women but, like all the other products in that collection, there’s nothing stopping anyone younger from using this particular item…

…or Clarins’ upcoming collaboration with Ray-Ban, for that matter. (Kidding!)

Claims-wise, Clarins reckon their new cream’s going to help smooth wrinkles thanks to organic Harungana leaf extract; lighten up dark circles with brightening Albizia extract; reduce puffiness with caffeine and create an instantly smoother look due to its silicone and wax content. The floral-scented formula also makes use of illuminating ‘golden pearls’ to help brighten things up, but note that these are incredibly subtle and you’re still going to want to reach for an illuminating pen like Clarin’s Instant Light Brush On Perfector.

I haven’t used this long enough to put any wrinkle-busting claims to the test and rely on Botox to do the heavy lifting in that area. I also don’t know enough about Harungana leaves to comment and can find out almost nothing about it online aside form the fact that it’s got good antibacterial properties. Still, I can tell you it seemingly did a nice job of reducing morning puffiness.

Another plus? Being a combination skin-type, I appreciated that this formulation was nice and light. Lines that target a more mature skin often produce thick, creamy formula’s to create the impression that they’re ‘rich and indulgent’ or will hydrate better than a well-formulated hyaluronic acid-infused liquid. Unfortunately, these are what ultimately end up contributing to puffiness, so a thumbs up to Clarins for bucking the trend.

Interestingly, while it doesn’t get top billing when Clarins lists this product’s actives, the natural extract that’s in the greatest concentration is parsley extract. According to those big into more Ayurvedic skin care, it’s a great source of anitoxidant vitamin C, which we all know is a good collagen-booster and skin brightener.

Oh! One last thing! Clarins has put a little hair hydrating D-Panthenol in the mix and encourages you to sweep it over your lashes to help keep them in top nick. Quite the nice touch!